


Seeing stars

by Caliras



Series: Dyslexic Stan [19]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Dyslexia, Dyslexic Stan, Family Dynamics, Family Fluff, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-24
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-08-06 20:35:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16394648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caliras/pseuds/Caliras
Summary: Stan got cataract surgery, and they throw a party





	Seeing stars

It was around one in the morning when he was woken up. Well, it was more of being broken out of a stupor, but close enough, right? The reason he hadn’t been asleep this time was actually because of his recent surgery. His cataracts had been removed, and his vision had finally adjusted to them. The feeling of sight was… strange to say the least. He remembered thinking that there was no way this is how the normal eye sees. That they must have given his magic eyes instead of a surgery on his normal eyes. He’d been looking at the ceiling for a long time, astonished at how well he could see. Until the quiet, but insistent tapping on his door pulled him out of his staring. Groaning, he slid out of bed, rubbing at his eyes (gently; they still haven’t fully recovered) as he snatched his glasses off the bedside table (he has clear lenses now, but he still needs glasses). Turning the handle, he swung the door open, finding Mabel on the other side. Seeing him, she lit up.

“Grunkle Stan! Come outside!” Mabel chirped, apparently unaffected by time.

Unfortunately, Stan was. He yawned out grumpily, “At this time of night?”

“Yeah… it took us longer than we expected to set things up!”

“... set what up?” He said suspiciously, eyeing her sweater for clues.

But it was too late and his brain couldn’t focus on it properly. Ah well. He’d figure things out quicker if he went along with it.

“Oooh, you know, just things. Now come on!” She grabbed his hand and tugged him along, not seeming to mind that he was a second away from falling back asleep.

In a blink of the eye (or maybe he’d just spaced out for a few seconds) they were at the door and Mabel looked like she was about to burst with excitement as she flung the door open. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but once they did he saw telescopes set up with Dipper and Ford standing next to them, giving him dual grins.

“Okay so what's all this about?”

“Well, we’ve been thinking about having some kind of party after your surgery, and we decided to have a star-gazing party! Surprise!” Mabel tossed confetti on him, then led him out a bit further.

“Why star-gazing?”

“Look up.”

Grumbling, he tipped his head backwards, and… woah. Since his eyes had already adjusted, he saw… everything. The stars are so… beautiful. They swirled in complex and simple constellations, shining against the dark sky. He could actually see individual stars now.

“I think… I think they gave me magic eyes. There's no way… there's no way I’ve been missing out on all of this.”

“C’mon Grunkle Stan! Try looking through one of the telescopes!”

Shakily, he made his way over and peered inside one only to have his breath taken away.

“Is… is that the moon?”

“Yep! And this telescope focuses on Saturn!” Dipper exclaimed, pointing to the telescope he was at.

His eyes felt moist and he wiped them superstitiously, then peered into it. It must have been a good telescope, because he could actually see its ring. Or maybe that was normal. He wasn’t sure, but he knew he had a new appreciation for the planet. After an undetermined amount of time, he pulled himself away from the telescope and gazed up into the sky again. It was just… incredible.

Ford bumped gently against him and pointed to a group of stars, “There’s the Big Dipper, do you see it?”

He didn’t. But Ford helped him locate it soon enough, and Stan smiled at it.

He then ruffled Dipper’s hair (who been heading towards another telescope) and chuckled, “I’ve got a little Dipper right here.”

Dipper made a sound of protest, then shrugged and looked at the Big Dipper with them. It was a nice and peaceful night… until a popping sound made them all nearly jump out of their skins. They whirled around only to find Mabel with a party popper.

She grinned mischievously at them, “Can’t have a party without these!” She proclaimed, tossing them a few.

Grinning in response, Stan aimed his at Ford and pulled back the string. Ford looked playfully offended, then aimed his at Stan, only to be hit from the paper from behind. A quick looked revealed an innocent looking Dipper, who had a suspiciously empty popper at his feet. Ford looked torn until Mabel tossed him another. Then Stan ran, laughing. He heard a squawk as Dipper got hit and laughed even harder. Risking a look behind him, he saw Mabel and Ford catching up to him, both with party poppers in their hands. He thought this was quite unfair until Mabel tossed him a bag, though he was still out of the poppers range.

Turning abruptly, he caught them off-guard and dashed past them, heading towards Dipper. Of course they were closer now, but now, he thought smugly as he tossed a couple to Dipper, he had a teammate. Turning, he aimed one at Mabel and drew back the string, confetti exploding from the case. And thus, the war commenced. In the end, he wasn’t even sure if there were teams anymore. Just alliances and betrayal and bonds forged in the heat of war. Paper was everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. Stan is not sure how and where Mabel had bought this many party poppers. Ford had gone face down in the dirt a while ago. Stan wasn’t sure if he’d get back up. But he could tell he was breathing, so that was nice.

They soon were all sprawled on the grass looking up into the vast expanse of space, giggling randomly, thinking about their fight. Stan felt so darn happy and… something he couldn’t quite place. It felt as if… it felt like… he…. He felt like he didn’t have to run. Some of the tension in his shoulders had relaxed. He wasn’t quite sure when he’d gotten to be this tense, or how long it had been before he’d released it like this. The feeling was odd and warm, and it felt as if he’d be okay so long as he kept in this moment. Maybe... did he… feel safe? He… wasn’t sure the last time he’d felt that. If he’d _ever_ felt that. He almost wasn’t sure if that was it, but it certainly felt so. A bright and beautiful streak of light crossing the sky broke him out of his musing.

“A shooting star! Quick everybody make a wish!” Mabel whisper-shouted, eyes shutting quickly as she made her own wish.

A wish, huh? Stan isn’t too sure on what to wish for. His life is fine as is. Getting better everyday, in fact. Wait. There is _one_ thing. I wish, he thought, feeling a bit silly, that I’ll be able to protect my family. No matter what. And if he thought the stars grew a bit brighter, he kept that to himself. Gazing up into the sky, he felt a tug of longing. His fingers almost itched, and he felt the slightest twinge of anticipation. For a moment, he was confused. Then he placed it. For the first time in many years, he wanted to... paint again. He had fallen in love with the night sky that his family showed him, and he wanted everyone to know that. After all, there was no reason to keep his work under the bed anymore. Upon realizing this, he felt excitement rush through him, even if he didn’t show it on the outside. They ended up spending hours outside, and only when the sun began to rise did they slink back into the shack. The moment never quite broke, leaving them all happy and tired. In the morning, Stan couldn’t stop smiling as he brought home paints, a couple paintbrushes, and a few canvases.


End file.
